Wadhwani Foundation together with Rwanda Polytechnic which brings together all former Integrated Polytechnics Regional Centres (IPRCs) countrywide, have signed a partnership agreement to set up programs that will enable TVETs graduates to expose to the labour market. Wadhwani Foundation is an NGO by entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr. Romesh Wadhwani with programs in accelerating economic development in emerging economies through largescale job creation and job fulfillment.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday following the agreement with the ministry of education through Workforce Development Authority (WDA) to promote entrepreneurship, skills development and innovation.
Dr James Gashumba, the vice chancellor of Rwanda Polytechnic said that the MOU signing is one of the Institution’s strategies to work with development partners to curb unemployment among University graduates.
“As Rwanda Polytechnic we expect that students and graduates benefit from training courses in terms of soft skills apart from technical skills we provide. We have realized that they can graduate with diploma but without skills in the world of work. We have to think of the next step after they graduate,” he said. The soft skills they need, will be obtain through training at skills and in industries, he added.
Varsy Wanjau, the executive vice president and managing director of Wadhwani Foundation-East Africa said: “The support is in the form of donation done by the organization focusing on skills development by equipping students and graduates in all colleges of Rwanda Polytechnic with employability skills, how to be more marketable, get jobs and keep those jobs on their hands”.
The beneficiaries need communication skills, attitude change and how to behave when they get jobs. We have international experts who will also train their lectures to train students under the approach of skills transfer and then connect with employing industry to evaluate if the skills acquire produce any positive impact, he added.
“Supporting the development of vocational teachers will help improve their quality of training and facilitate delivery through use of modern multi learning tools,” he noted.
The government wants more upper secondary school students to join TVET institutions so that they can
acquire hands-on skills needed on labor market, employable and entrepreneurial skills as a way of tackling unemployment among the youth.
Over 160,000 students are expected to benefit from the training partnership as the merger of eight colleges namely College of Kigali, College of Ngoma, College of Karongi, College of Huye, College of Tumba, College of Musanze, College of Gishari, and College of Kitabi.
New Times